Pages

Southern Charm

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A while back I decided to try to come up with a cupcake based on Todd's favorite flavor from the South, sweet tea. I took the basic flour, sugar, butter, etc. proportions from the Magnolia Bakery cupcakes, but made the flavorings my own. Here are the makings of Sweet Tea Cupcakes.

Bring milk almost to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add 6 tea bags, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags squeezing out excess liquid. Return mixture to a measuring cup and add extra milk to bring milk/tea mixture to 1 cup. Let cool. Stir in extracts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper cups. In a bowl, combine the flours, 1 tsp tea from remaining bag, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating, with the milk/tea mixture. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in tins for 15 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. (2 dozen)